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Committee member says steering committee lacked required public notices; school board voting procedure questioned
Summary
At a Wilson County committee meeting, members heard a report that CTAS advised several land-use steering-committee meetings lacked interim public notices and discussed whether a county school board narrowed superintendent finalists outside an open meeting; the county attorney will review documentary evidence.
A committee member reported at a Wilson County committee meeting that County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) advised the county that several land-use steering-committee meetings should have carried public notices and that interim meetings were not always publicly noticed.
"We should have had the public notices with those steering committee meetings in between," the committee member said, and added that one notice was posted at the start but others were not. The speaker said Christopher later ensured remaining meetings were put into compliance.
The committee member also raised questions about whether a county school board, after interviewing five superintendent candidates, narrowed the field to two by having members leave the public room and later submit rankings. "We aren't aware of any laws that allow email votes to narrow down candidates," the same committee member said, and reported that a board attorney said the first vote may be problematic and would seek another opinion.
A staff member replied that, in his account, board members ranked candidates during the interview process and "Miss Owens calculated the results and reported" the two finalists, and that the process was not an email vote even though emails listing the top two finalists circulated to members.
Mayor ( speaking as chair) asked that any documentary evidence — including emails that show votes or rankings — be provided to staff so the county attorney can determine whether corrective steps are necessary. "If the emails are there ... I'd like to see those," the staff member said.
Another participant urged more consistent public notices and minutes for all committees, saying this was the third instance in three months involving notice or vote concerns including the land-use steering committee and the ethics training committee. The participant said related emails had been cc'd to the county attorney in March.
The committee did not take formal action on penalties or remedies during the meeting; the county attorney was reported to be seeking further legal advice, and staff requested copies of any emails or documents that would substantiate off‑record voting or email tallies.
Next steps: the committee requested documentary evidence be submitted to staff and awaited a follow-up opinion from legal counsel; no disciplinary or remedial action was recorded on the transcript.
